Personal computer systems, such as IBM personal computer systems, have attained widespread use. Historically, such systems have been information handling systems designed primarily to give independent computing power to a single user (or a relatively small group of users in the case of personal computers which serve as computer server systems).
Convergence products are now beginning to form a relatively new categomy of entertainment products, based on the convergence of personal computer (PC) technology and traditional consumer electronics technology. With this trend towards convergence, or using a personal computer with a large monitor as the heart an entertainment system, it is likely that standards will eventually be developed to assure the compatibility and interoperability of products. However, conventional interlaced television (broadcast and cabled) is still currently a widespread viable medium. Even if such standards are eventually developed, there will exist a very large number of "legacy" consumer electronic devices that users may wish to continue using, along with a large number of existing articles containing analog video information in well-established formats. Therefore, even if a computer is employed in an entertainment system, it is likely that users will wish to continue to view conventional (interlaced) video from sources such as broadcast and cabled television, inputs from other analog video sources such as videotape recorders (VTRs), laser disk players, video camcorder devices, and so forth.
It is known to receive an interlaced video source and convert it to a noninterlaced VGA format for display on a computer monitor. In so doing, it is also known to switch the monitor between an overscanned "TV mode" with increased brightness and altered color temperature for employing a computer monitor to view television content, and an underscanned "computer graphics mode" which generally has decreased brightness and sharper focus for viewing computer graphics content. However, even in television mode, the interlaced signal is not displayed directly, but is converted to a VGA signal.
Combination television/computer monitors are also known which are capable of displaying both a VGA (noninterlaced) signal and which further contain standard television tuning electronics. Although such devices may be interfaced to a computer, they are switched between the television and computer graphics modes only via the television-user interface, i.e., buttons or switches on the television itself or via a remote control television interface. Similarly, once the television mode has been selected, there does not exist any method for controlling the traditional television features, such as channel selection, via the host computer. Therefore, there exists a need for a system and method for switching between the computer (noninterlaced) and television (interlaced) modes of such TV/monitor hybrid displays from a host computer system interface. There also exists a need for a method and system for controlling traditional television features from a host computer system interface.